Is it ironic or just ignorant? I don't know.
An American journalist is brutally murdered by ISIS terrorists and the bombs are flying, coalitions are formed to attack them and put an end to their heinous crimes...all of which I support.
However, two days ago an innocent 3-month-old American child, in her stroller, was plowed down by a Hamas terrorist in Jerusalem who purposely ran his car into a crowd on the street.
We did not hear a peep! No bombs, no coalitions, not even a 10-second mention on the evening news.
Some would argue that death is expected in Israel and the Palestinian territories, so it is not such a big deal. But I would argue that this is not the case. The case is that it was just a child...just a child...collateral damage in a part of the world where collateral damage is a way of life.
As a proud American, I thought that every American life was worth fighting for, whether a noted journalist or a 3-month-old child; that every American had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, whether they were old enough to know what those words meant or not even old enough to say "Mama" or "Dada."
The truth is that around the world children have become "expendable." In April over 250 school girls were abducted in Nigeria...we have not heard from them. If it were 250 or even 25 journalists or political leaders we would still be captivated by it. Children are expendable.
In September, 43 students were kidnapped in the state of Guerrero in Mexico and they have not been heard from since...and I will bet most of you never even heard about this. After all, they are "only children." Children are expendable.
Back to Chaya Zissel Braun -- yes, that was the name of the child murdered in Jerusalem. As Americans, we have lost one of our own, and as one who cares about children around the world, another light has been dimmed without even a mention.
Frankly, as an American I do not expect, nor would I support, another large-scale military operation on behalf of little Chaya, but what I would expect is recognition by our government and our press on the scale that we saw when James Foley was so brutally murdered. I would expect some outrage from the U.S. and the world community that a 3-month-old child has been made the victim of terrorists on a quiet street in the most sacred city in the world, Jerusalem.
All I hear is...silence...oh well, she was just a child. When we will learn that no child is expendable?